Page:A History of Architecture in All Countries Vol 2.djvu/91

Rh Bk. IV. Ch. V. BAVAEIA. 75 only a choir — a fragment of what was intended ; and it neither pos- sesses the poetry of its Bohemian rival, nor the perfect masonry of Cologne, and perhaps more resembles Beauvais than any other church of its age. In Bavaria there are several churches erected later in the style, which, in spite of many defects of detail, are still very imposing edifices. The cathedral at Munich is a Avell-known exami)le of this style, but a better specimen is the St. Martin's church at Landshut (1404). As in almost all these examples, the three aisles are the same heiglit, and outside are covered by one gigantic roof. Internally this gives great spaciousness, but externally the exaggerated height of the windows and the size of the roof are great defects. The most beauti- ful feature at Landshut is the spire, which rises to the height of 425 ft., and is as gracefully and appropriately designed as any other which has been completed in Germany of its age. Though not so rich as St. Stephen's at Vienna, it has not its confusion of outline, and it also avoids the somewhat ambiguous beauties of the open-work spires so frequent in this country. In adopting the pointed-arch style, the Germans generally aban- doned their favorite double-apse arrangement ; and though they seldom adopted the whole of the chevet, preferring their own simple apse to it, it seems to have been only, or nt least generally, where an old round Gotliic double-apse church existed previously, that this arrangement was continued after the commencement of the 13th cen- tury. Naumberg, the nave of which was commenced about the year 1200, is an instance of this. This was no doubt inserted between two older apses, both of which were rebuilt at a later age, forming two very beautiful and extensive choirs. The whole makes a very pleasing and interesting church, though there certainly is an architectural in- congruity in entering by the side, and the double-apse ari-angement is unfamiliar and nearly unintelligible to us at the present time. A still better example is the cathedral at Bamberg, which, judging from its date, ought to be in the complete pointed style. Though its east end dates from 1220, and the west 1257, it is still so completely transitional, and the pointed form so timidly used, that in France it would certainly be said that there was a mistake of at least a century in these dates. It is nevertheless a very fine church; and its four ele- gant towers flanking the two apses give it a local and at the same time a dignified character Avhich we often miss in the imitations of French churches, too common at this age. At Naumberg unfortunately only three towers exist, the fourth never having been erected, which con- siderably mars the effect when comparing it Avith the more complete edifice at Bamberg, Augsburg is another example of this class; although of a good age, the rebuilding: havinsj commenced in 1366, it is one of the usrliest and